Lubricator



N. LEIDGEN. LUBRICTOR.

(No Model.)

TNO. 562,332.

` Patented Junel, 1896.

UNITED STATES i PATENT Orrrcn,

NICOLAUS LEIDGEN, OFMILVAUKEE, IVISCONSIN.

LUBRICATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,332, dated J une 16, 1896.

Application filed June 24, 1895. Serial No. 553,862. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that VI, NrcoLAUs LEIDGEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mil- Waukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an oil-cup for use on crank-pins, eccentric-rods, and on other movable bearings.

It has for its object to provide the oil-cup with a horizontally-disposed chamber at its` bottom into which the oil will .pass from the cup and from 'which chamber the oil will be fed to the part to belubricated through an aperture, the oil being fed through the aperture by a ball which not only serves as a plunger-feed for the oil but also as a valve adapted at times to cut off the inlet of oil through an apertured plug in the chamber and at other times to cut oif the outlet of oil through the aperture leading to the part to be lubricated.` It has, further, for its object to provide `an.

adjustable plug in said chamber for regulat` ing the throw of the ball-valve and plunger, so as to regulate the feed of the oil from the chamber to the part to be lubricated.

It has, further, for its object to so construct said chamber that the ball-valve and plunger Will have a limited vertical play as Well as a longitudinal movement in the chamber, so as to prevent gumniing and sticking of the ball.

It has, further, for its object to prov-ide im* proved features of construction in other 'particulars hereinafter made to appear. l

To the accomplishment of the foregoingand such other objects as may hereinafter be made to appear, the invention consists in the con struction and in the `combination of parts hereinafter particularly described, and then` tallic top plate 3 and bottom plate 4. `top and bottom plate and sides of the cup are `secure the parts together.

ber 11.

`In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the cup for holding the supply of oil, which cup has glass or transparent sides 2 and me- The held together by means of a tube 5, screwthreaded at both ends, so as to engage screwthreads in the top and bottom plates and thus Directly over the upper end of the tube the top plate Si is provided with an air-inlet 6, which may be in a raised or arched portion 7 of the plate and is for the purpose of admitting air into the tube 5 and through it to an aperture or channel 8, so as to facilitate the passa-ge of oil through `that aperture to the part to be lubricated,

saidaperture or channel 8 being formed in a block or extension 9, projecting from the un-` der side of the bottom plate 4E, and which may be made separate from the bottom plate and secured thereto by any suitable means, or otherwise made, which block or extension has a screw-threaded portion 10,` by which it may be secured to the part to be lubricated.

Beneath or at the bottom of the cup 1, say in the block or extension 9, there is formed a transverse or horizontally-extending chamber 1l, which is formed with an aperture 12, connecting said chamber with the aperture 8 and for the passage of the oil from the chamberto aperture 8, from whence it passes to the part to be lubricated. The chamber 1l is in communication with the interior of the cup 1 through an aperture 13, formed in its wall, and which registers with an aperture 14E in the bottom plate t of the cup, so that the oil can pass from the interior of the cup into the cham- For the purpose of Vpreventing any sediment in the oil from passing into the chamber 11, I place over the apertures 13 and 14 a tube 15, which may extend any desired distance into the cup, and which will be provided with some suitable filtering material, so that' the oil which passes from the interior of the cup into the tube 15 through the open end of the latter will percolate or filter through the material and thus prevent to a greater or less extent sediment passing with the oil into the chamber 11. Within the chamber 11 is fitted a screw-plug 16, which is inserted through the outer end of the chamber 11and is capable of adjustment back and forth in IOO said chamber by screw-threads on the plug engaging screw-threads in the wall of chamber 11. A jam-nut 17 may be provided for the purpose of tightening the plug in place. This screw-plug 16 is provided with a circumferential groove or way 1S, so that the oil from the interior of the eupwill pass into the space thus formed and from thence through a duct 19 into the portion of the chamber 11 which lies between the inner end of the plug and the outlet-aperture 12 of the chamber, said duct 1f) communicating with the space made by the circumferential way 18 through one or more divergingducts 20.

Within the chamber 1l,between its end having the aperture 12 and the end of the screwplug 16, plays a ball 21, which feeds the oil from the chamber 11 through the aperture 12 as the ball moves back and forth between the end of the screw-plug and the end of the chamber, the movement of the ball being imparted by the movement of the part to which the lubricating-cup is attached. This ball serves both as a plunger for feeding the oil in its movement and also as a valve to close in alternation or otherwise the outlet-aperture 12 and the inlet-duct 19. This is important, as it is not desirable to let the oil feed to the part to be lubricated when the parts are stationary or out of action.

If the part to which the cup is attached stopped in one position, the ball 21 will lie in the end of the chamber l1 over the aperture 12, so as to close the same and prevent the oil flowing or trickling into and through that aperture, and if the part stops in another position, the ball will roll in the chamber so as to seat itself upon the end of the screwplug 16 over the duct 19 and thus close that duct, so that oil will not pass through it into the chamber, whereas, while the part to which the cup is attached is in motion and the cup thus moved or oscillated back and forth, the ball will be thrown back and forth and thus caused to act as a plunger for feeding the oil from the chamber to the aperture 12. The quantity of oil fed through the aperture 12 will depend upon the extent of throw of the ball, the greater the throw the more oil will be fed by the ball. The extent of throw of the ball is controlled by the adjustment of the screw-plug 16, it being obvious that the farther in that the plug is set or adj usted the shorter will be the throw of the ball and consequently the smaller the feed of the oil.

It will be observed that the end of the chamber where the aperture 12 is located is made concave and also that the end of the screwplug16 is made concave. This is done so as to insure a close fitting of the ball upon its seat in the end of the screw-plug and also in the apertured end of the chamber when at either end of its stroke, thus insuring the ball to seat itself properly, so as to effectively cut olf the iiow of oil when the parts are at rest. For the purpose of allowing a greater or less vertical play to the ball in the chamber 1l and thus prevent the duct 19 and the aperture 12 from becoming gummed and the ball from sticking, the wall of the chamber 11 forward of the screw-plug 12 is tapered, more or less, as illustrated at 22. This as stated allows a vertical play to the ball and yet at th-e same time causes the ball to seat itself either against the end of the screw-plug or against the concave end of the chamber accordin g as the ball may move in one direction or the other.

In order that the inner end of the screwplug may move in the tapered portion of the chamber, the inner portion of the plug is tapered or cut away circumferentially, so that it may be moved back and forth in the tapered part of the chamber without contacting with its walls. This enables the space in which the ball moves to be enlarged or diminished by the simple adjustment of the screw-plug to such an extent that the throw of the ball can be varied and thus the feed of the oil regulated to a nicety.

I have described with particularit-y what I consider to be the best details of construction of the several parts, but it is obvious that changes can be made therein without departing from the essential features of the invention.

It is obvious that the tapered portion 22 of the chamber 11 could be made straight, in which event the several parts would be proportioned substantially as indicated by dotted lines in the drawings, or -otherwise, and the other features of my invention still be employed.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is- 1. The combination with the oil-cup provided at its lower portion with a horizontallyarranged chamberin communication with the interior of the cup and formed with an outletaperture for the passage of oil to .the part to be lubricated, of a revoluble gravitating ball having a horizontal play in said chamber for feeding oil therefrom, and an adjustable plug fitting inside said chamber and accessible from the end thereof for adjustment to regulate the throw of the ball and feed of the lubricant, substantially as'and for the purposes described.

2. The combination with the oil-cup, provided at its lower portion with a horizontallyarranged chamber in communication with the interior of the cup and having an outlet-aperturefor the passage of oil to the part to be lubricated, of the adjustable plug fitting in said chamber and adapted to regulate the length of the space in which a ball may play and provided with a duct through which oil is fed to the said space, and a ball having a horizontal play in said chamber to feed the oil therefrom and adapted to close either the duct in said plug or the outer aperture in said chamber when the parts are at rest, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination with the oil-cup pro- IOO IIO

vided with a chamber in communication with the interior of the cup and having an outletaperture for the passage of oil to the part to be lubricated, of the adjustable plug in said chamber formed with a circumferential groove or wayto receive the oil from the cup and having a duct leading from said groove or way for the passage of oil, and a ball or plunger free to plak;T in the chamber between its end and the inner end of the adjustable plug for feeding oil from the chamber substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination with the oil-cup provided With a chamber in communication with the interior of the cup and having an outletaperture for the passage of oil to the part to be lubricated, the interior wall of said chamber next to said outlet-aperture being tapered, of an adjustable apertured plug fitting in said chamber for regulating the throT of a feed-A ball and supplying oil to said chamber, and

a ball free to play in said chamber between the end of the adjustable plug and the outletaperture in the chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The combination with the oil-cup provided with a chamber in communication with the interior and having an outlet-aperture for the passage of oil to the part to be lubricated, the interior wall of said chamber next to the outlet-aperture being tapered, of an adjustable regulating-plug fitted in said chamber and having itsinner end tapered or cut away circumferentially and provided with an oilduct, and a ball free to play in the tapered portion of said chamber to feed the oil therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes described. p

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICOLAUS LEIDGEN. lllitnesses:

Il. J. RIEMENsCHNEIDER, O'r'ro GELHAAR. 

